Scientists have warned that the more Viagra-type drugs men take, the lower their sexual confidence becomes.

This warning was contained in a discussion explaining how Viagra was discovered by accident.

Scientists at the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, reportedly discovered the powers of Viagra (sildenafil citrate) by accident in the early 1990s during trials of a potential new angina drug named UK-92480.

Angina is a condition in which the vessels that supply the heart with blood constrict, triggering chest pain and breathlessness.

The drug, UK-92480, was found to do little to relieve pain, and Pfizer was on the verge of abandoning it when reports began to show a distinctive pattern: many male trial volunteers were experiencing an unusual side-effect — erections.

It turned out that rather than dilating their coronary blood vessels as hoped, the blood vessels of their penises became dilated instead.

Senior Pfizer scientist, Chris Wayman, investigated what was happening by testing the drug on penile tissue samples from impotent men. The effect was dramatic.

U.S. regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, approved Viagra in 1998. Before this, there was no oral treatment for erectile dysfunction; the only options were an injection or a prosthetic implant.

Viagra is thought to be effective for up to six hours, and while it does not stimulate desire, it does help a man to establish and maintain an erection if he feels aroused.

Viagra’s subsequent success is the stuff of pharmaceutical legend. Pfizer continues to make Viagra at its plant in a small village called Ringaskiddy in County Cork — dubbed ‘Viagra Falls’ by locals, who also claim to enjoy amazing sex lives because of the Viagra ‘in the air.’

In its first 10 years alone, nearly 30 million men worldwide were prescribed Viagra with sales of more than £1bn. In Britain, prescriptions for Viagra (and other erectile dysfunction drugs) have nearly tripled in the past decade.

However, doctors are concerned that men are buying Viagra-type drugs online, putting themselves in peril from counterfeit chemicals.

The chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Prof. Helen Stokes-Lampard, says buying Viagra and similar drugs online exposes men to a “powerful drug that could have potentially unpleasant side-effects, and serious interactions with other medication.”

Analysis of these pills has found them to contain everything from gypsum (used to make plaster of Paris) to printer ink, brick dust and even arsenic. They are often manufactured by criminal gangs who see the potential of increased demand.

Doctors say there is a growing trend for younger men using Viagra and similar drugs.
They may want to improve sexual performance or take it to counter the use of other recreational drugs and alcohol which make it harder to get an erection.

Seth Rankin, an NHS GP and chief executive of the London Doctors Clinic, a private chain of GP surgeries, says many 20-something-year-olds take Viagra-type drugs because they watch a lot of pornography and feel pressure to perform.

However, young men who use Viagra as a lifestyle drug can harm their potency, because they begin to doubt their virility without it, and develop a psychological dependency on it.
(Adapted from Mail)

Based on findings, one of men’s worst sexual problems is impotence. It is a type of sexual dysfunction characterised by the inability of the man to develop or maintain an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse.

Beyond the fact that it reduces man’s self esteem, it impairs a man’s ability to have sexual intercourse and more importantly, it also reduces the likelihood of the man being able to impregnate a woman. But the good news is that it is curable.

However, given the serious impact it has on the sexual wellness of a man, it is important to point out that there are certain habits that fuel this dysfunction, and these include:

Diet: It should first be noted that the turgidity of the penis is dependent on blood flow and so it is only helpful when people eat the food that would aid blood flow in their system. WebMD, a website that provides valuable health information and tools for managing health, pointed out that the kind of diet or eating pattern that could cause heart attack due to restricted blood flow would also obstruct the flow of blood to the penis, especially when blood flow is needed for the penis to be erect. Therefore, to avoid impotence, men are advised to take fruits, vegetables, fish, red wine, whole grains and heart-healthy fats like nuts. “Anything that is bad for a man’s heart is also bad for his penis,” an associate professor of clinical urology, Andrew McCullough, said.

Obesity: Another factor that can cause impotence is obesity. According to WebMD, overweight is a risk factor for diabetes, which could cause nerve damage in some parts of the body. However, if one of the nerves that have links with the penis is damaged, it could affect the sensitivity of the penis, resulting in erectile dysfunction. Also, diabetes has been found to be one of the endocrine diseases that impede blood flow and that can also affect blood flow to the penis. Also, people that are obese tend to have high level of visceral fat which has been linked to lower testosterone.

Lack of exercise: Exercise has been found to add great benefits to the body, including increased blood circulation in the body. In fact, exercise has been found to boost libido due to the increased blood flow. On the other hand, inactive or deskbound lifestyle has been found to cause erectile dysfunction. However, people are also advised to be cautious of the kind of exercise they engage in and this is because any form of exercise, like cycling, that puts enormous pressure on the area between the scrotum and anus could affect the nerves and vessels that have links with the penis, leading to erectile dysfunction.

Smoking: Previous studies have shown that there are many disadvantages of smoking to the body and in this case, it transcends its negative impact on the lungs to include its enormous impact on the functionality of the penis. Specifically, WebMD pointed out that smoking could harm blood vessels and reduce the flow of blood to the penis. Furthermore, it was found that nicotine, one of the substances in tobacco, could make the blood vessels to contract and in the long run, contract the flow of blood to the penis. An assistant professor of urology and co-founder of the cardiovascular and sexual health clinic at Yale University, Charles Walker, told Healthline that smoking could damage the lining of the blood vessels, which affects the smooth muscle in the penis and inhibits blood from flowing in. Everyone knows smoking is bad for your health, but most people don’t realise there is a direct relationship between cigarette smoking and erectile dysfunction,” he added.

Penile injury: For such a sensitive and important organ, one could be tempted to think that no harm could come to the penis, especially with its location, but there have been incidents of people sustaining penile injury, whether due to rough and uncontrolled sexual activity or injuries sustained from accident. However, injury to the penis has been found to affect its sensitivity. Also, certain injuries to the nerves and arteries in the urethra could result in erectile dysfunction. A specialist in erectile dysfunction, Dr. Irwin Goldstein, told Everyday Health that the main artery to the penis, which supplies the blood needed for erections, is connected to the pelvic bone, thus, extreme force in the pelvic bone region could crush the artery and in effect, lead to erectile dysfunction.

Oral hygiene: This may appear shocking to many, especially when there doesn’t seem to be any link between the teeth and the penis. But according to recent studies, men with gum disease tend to battle with erectile dysfunction. On the other hand, men with erectile dysfunction tend to have gum disease. As it turned out, the researchers told Men’s Health that as the tooth decays, the immune system attacks pathogens in the mouth and then bacteria in the mouth could find their way into the bloodstream, clog blood vessels, including those in the penis. This affects blood flow to the penis and this can lead to erectile dysfunction. However, the way out is to maintain oral hygiene, by brushing the teeth twice daily and flossing regularly.

Stress: This factor sounds like a common issue and many people are familiar with the causes and effects. However, stress had also been found to trigger the secretion of adrenaline hormone, which makes the blood vessels to contract. Thus, reducing anxiety, depression and worries helps blood flow considerably.

Drug abuse: The effect of drug abuse is widespread, but not many would know that the use of certain drugs could impair their sexual functionality or even kill their ability to get aroused. Hence, people are advised to consult a doctor or pharmacist before taking any drug, more so that the drug effect is usually a side effect. And the said drugs include the ones men take to boost their performance or treat erectile dysfunction. So, consult a doctor before using any drug.

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The founder and publisher of Playboy magazine, Hugh Hefner, has died. He died on Wednesday at the ripe old age of 91, reports say.

It was also gathered that the ladies’ man was notorious for popping Viagra — a prescription medicine used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and impotence in men.

“Hefner ate Viagra like sweets in order to maintain his very active sex life,” The Independent has reported.

“The pills, which have been linked in studies to sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL), apparently left him almost deaf in one ear, and completely deaf in the other,” Independent quoted two of his female consorts to have said.

“You have to lean down and talk into his good ear for him to understand you,” one of his former twin girlfriends, Karissa Shannon, said.

“We could sit right next to him and he wouldn’t have a clue what we said.”

But it seems this didn’t give Hefner pause or leave him with any regret, with Karissa adding: “He said he would rather have sex than have his hearing.”

Addressing a 2011 report on links between hearing loss and Viagra, the NHS writes: “SSHL is a rare, emergency condition caused by damage to the inner ear structures, which can lead to permanent hearing loss.

“The study found 47 cases of hearing loss associated with taking this class of drug. Two-thirds of these cases occurred within 24 hours of taking the drug.”

Playboy Enterprises announced Wednesday that Hefner had died in the Playboy Mansion from natural causes.

Playboy magazine was founded by Hefner more than 60 years ago as an upscale men’s magazine, combining images of nude women with in-depth articles, literature and interviews.

“Hugh M. Hefner, the American icon who, in 1953, introduced the world to Playboy magazine and built the company into one of the most recognisable American global brands in history, peacefully passed away today from natural causes at his home, The Playboy Mansion, surrounded by loved ones,” Playboy confirmed in a statement.

“He was 91 years old.”

Hugh Marston Hefner was born on 9 April , 1926, to strict Methodist parents.

The eldest of two brothers, he served two years in the Army during World War II before finding a job at Esquire as a copywriter.

A professor of medicine and consultant physician/endocrinologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Anthonia Ogbera, talks about diabetes mellitus and how to avoid it with MOTUNRAYO JOEL

What is diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a disorder in which blood sugar (glucose) levels are abnormally high because the body does not produce enough insulin to meet its needs.

With a population of over 170 million people, Nigeria is the largest country in Africa and accounts for one sixth of Africa’s population. Diabetes mellitus is on the increase and assuming pandemic proportions. The latest estimates from IDF Diabetes Atlas indicate that 382 million people are living with diabetes mellitus worldwide and that by 2035, this figure will be doubled. The bad news is that much of this increase in numbers will be documented in the developing countries of the world like Nigeria.

Unfortunately, Nigeria, like most developing countries, is experiencing a rapid epidemiological transition with the burden of non-communicable diseases like diabetes mellitus and hypertension poised to overwhelm the healthcare system that is already overburdened by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Guestimates indicate that currently, about 15 million Nigerians are living with diabetes mellitus as against two million in 1997. The epidemic has grown in parallel with the worldwide rise in obesity and it is fuelled by rapid urbanisation, nutrition transition, and increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

What are the types of diabetes?

There are two main types of this disease; they are type 1 diabetes mellitus which has its onset in childhood and requiring lifelong insulin injections and type 2 diabetes with its onset in adulthood and often requiring glucose lowering drugs (in tablet form) and sometimes insulin injections . Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the commonly occurring type of diabetes mellitus and it accounts for 95 per cent persons of persons living with diabetes mellitus. Apparently, the type 2 diabetes mellitus is a global public health crisis that threatens the economies of all nations, particularly developing countries including Nigeria. Although type 2 diabetes mellitus has its onset in adults usually above 30 years of age, this form is becoming increasingly common in teenagers and the reasons for this scenario include, intake of calorie dense foods, lack of exercise and overweight or obesity.

Is diabetes life-threatening?

All forms of diabetes mellitus become life- threatening if glucose control is poor. These complications may affect virtually every organ in the body and may give rise to stroke, kidney failure, foot ulcers and amputations, blindness, impotence in men and stillbirths in women to mention a few.

How common is diabetes in Nigeria?

Local Research from Nigeria has shown that 15 out of a 100 people admitted into the medical wards have diabetes and that one in six people hospitalised as a result of diabetes would die. Foot ulcers or wound occurs in two in 10 people with diabetes and 40 per cent of people with diabetic foot ulcers will need surgical intervention which most of the time involves amputation of the affected limb. Six out of 10 persons undergoing dialysis developed kidney failure as a result of diabetes. One of the most feared complications of diabetes mellitus is stroke which often results in reduced quality and quantity of life.

A significant area of concern which healthcare professionals often shy away from is that of sexual dysfunction. Local research from Nigeria indicate that a third of all men with diabetes have erectile dysfunction or suffer impotence while one 1 in 10 people women with diabetes have sexual problems. A resultant effect of this is the influx of unlicensed therapies and false claims by charlatans who have a field day making profit from people’s ignorance and problems.

There seems to be some form of stigma attached to people with diabetes.

An understudied aspect of diabetes complication is the psychological impact. There is some degree of societal stigma that stems from having diabetes and there a few documented cases of people committing suicide as a result of the unending frustrations of living with the complications of diabetes.

What efforts are being made to reduce the number of those battling with this health condition?

In a bid to reduce the burden of diabetes mellitus and its complications, there are heightened efforts worldwide to increase awareness and sensitise the public on this all important non-communicable disease. To this end, World Diabetes Day was created by the International Diabetes Federation. This day is all about serving as advocacy and creating awareness on diabetes.

In Nigeria, the Diabetes Association of Nigeria, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, made up of volunteers and stakeholders is at the forefront of the advocacy for diabetes. Healthy living does not only have the potential to prevent diabetes from occurring but also improve the glucose control in persons with diabetes. Healthy living embraces healthy eating, increased physical activity and doing away with risky behaviours such as smoking and excessive alcohol intake. My pragmatic submission is that healthy living be introduced at primary school level and should also be part of the school curriculum. If children embrace healthy living then chances are high that they will adhere to these habits when they grow up. The danger with allowing children to indulge in unhealthy living just because of their age is that they run the risk of developing diabetes and hypertension. Type 2 diabetes or the adult form of diabetes is becoming increasingly documented in adolescents and this is attributable to same risk factors as it in adults.

What are some of the challenges about awareness on diabetes?

Challenges abound in detecting and managing diabetes mellitus and foremost of these are deeply entrenched erroneous beliefs on DM and poor funding of the health sector. Although we have a health insurance system in Nigeria, it is weak and tottering on its feet. There is a compelling need as never before for all stakeholders to be in collaboration with the government and the private sector to improve on the detection of DM and the dissemination of information on it. Currently, a non-governmental non-profit organisation, Structured Healthcare Initiatives, at the forefront in the fight to reduce the burden of DM, is presently collaborating with the World Diabetes Foundation to execute a project titled “Improving foot care in DM in Lagos State.”

To this end, they have donated foot ulcer risk factors detecting equipment to 20 hospitals in Lagos State. They have also built and still building capacity amongst healthcare professionals while at the same time raising public awareness and offering free screening of DM.

Tell us more about foot ulcers.

The burden of foot ulcers in Nigeria is particularly high. In the early 90s, a research work published by me and some of my colleagues showed that 50 per cent of all persons admitted as a result of foot ulcers had diabetes and six out of 10 would require surgical intervention which may be in the form of amputations. The number of deaths from DM foot ulcers is also high and sometimes, such people suffer psychological trauma from the loss of limbs, societal stigma and loss of or reduced earnings/income. We therefore emphasise that persons with DM should undergo yearly screening for nerve damage and assessment of blood flow to the lower limbs.

What is your advice to Nigerians about DM?

My pragmatic submission is adopting a healthy life style should be entrenched in our collective psyche as this will, to a large extent, ensure a life free from diseases.

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